Well-borer.



T. NOBLE.

WELL BORBR.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. so, 1907.

Patented Sept. 5, 1911.

when driven by a plunger or piston; Figs.

THOMASNOBLE, or s'r. ANNEs-oN-THE-SEA, ENGLAND.

WELL-BORER.

To all 'whom 'it may concern: Be it known'that I, THOMAS NOBLE, subjectof the King of Great Britain, residing at St. Annes-on-the-Sea, in thecounty 0I Lancaster, in the Kingdom of England, well-borer, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Well-Borers, patentedinGreat Britain, No. 4,302, dated February 21, 1906.

This invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for boringwells, making drains,-testing ground, driving piles, and the like.

The invention liesv in the arrangement whereby the apparatus presses theground laterally and so makes a bore hole or the like, through which thebore tube can be gradually lowered.

In order that the invention may be fully understood, reference will nowbe had to the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 shows the apparatus as worKed by hydraulic means; Fig. 2, adetail view of the point or end to the boring tube as worked by anexpanding cushion; Fig. 3. the point of the boring tube as arranged 4and 5, the diiere'nt forms'of the plunger or piston used in connectionwith the device' shown in Fig. 3; and Fig. 6, a modification of thepoint or end; Fig. 7, a sectional view on the line 7 7, Figs.,2 or 3.Fig. 8 is a detail View showing the connection between the bore tube andthe fingers carried thereby.

The apparatus as shown in Fig. 1 consists for the main part of a boretube A carrying a point or end indicated as a whole by B, and preferablyformed of several hinged or otherwise movable pieces or fingers C. Thesefingers C are provided with shoulders .D, and so formed that when theyare close together they form a conical point having an annularenlargement u formed of the shoulders D. The ngersC may be secured tothe tube either by simply being hinged thereto in any ordinary manner orby being slotted thereto, that is to say being so mounted by means ofslots C1 and pins C2 as shown in Fi 8, as to be capable of movementradial y relative to the axis of the tube, the object being to firstforce the shoulders D out from'the bore hole so as to press the `earthaway and' grip the sides, and then force the points of the differentngers apart, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 8,

Specication of Letters Iatent.

Application led January 30, 1907. Serial No. 354,928.

Patented Sept. 5, 1911.

and so force the earth at the bottom of the bore hole to the side, andpermit the bore tube to penetrate farther into the bore hole, and permitthe function to be repeated.

In Fig. 1 the bore tube A is connected by a pipe E with a suit-ablesource o1' llqud supply such las a force pump F. Suitable means G areprovided to enable the bore tube to be raised and allowed to fall downagain of its own weight. In the case shown in Fig. l the water is forceddown the, bore tube so as to first force the shoulders D of the fingersforming the point C outward, so as to grip the sides of 'the bore hole.The water then forces the parts forming the point apart, the tendency ofthe water to lift the tube being counteracted by the shoulders of thefingers gripping the sides. The water further forces the earth to theside and away from the tube, the pressure is taken ofl'l and the tubeallowed to fall, and in so doing the point will close up again, and thesame operation can again be repeated.

Instead of having water to actually issue from the point of the boretube, the device indicated in Fig. 2 can be used in which an expansiblecushion or ball H is mounted inside the point and connected by means ofa suitable pipe J to any suitable source of fluid pressure. By applyingand releasing the fluid pressure on, the ball or cushion H it will beobvious that the shoulders D of the point will be expanded andcontracted and the points of the fingers also moved inward and outward,with a result that-the earth will be pressed to the side Iof the boretube; on pressure being released the cushion will contract so that thebore tube can be raised, when the points of the fingers will cometogether after which the bore tube is allowed to fall, which will causethe point to penetrateunder the earth, after which the separate pointswill be forced apart again, and the earth will be pressed to the side.

Instead of working the points by means of a cushion exactly as shown,they could be worked by means of a piston or plunger, such as shown inFig. 4:, comprising a cylindrical part K, a pointed part L, and ashoulder M carrying rollers N, a leather washer or collar O beingarranged on the top together with a handle or means P for securing arope or chain to it. In this case when a hydraulic pressure is appliedthe piston will be forced down the tube, the

rollers N will come into contact with the inner surfaces of the fingersC and force the shoulders out radially, as the piston continues itstravel the point L will penetrate between the points of the fingers andspread them apart farther moving the earth to the side, the point of thepiston itself penetrating into the ground. On the piston being raised,the bore tube will of itself sink down with the -points of the fingersentering the hole in the ground made by the point L, when the operationcan be repeated.

As shown in connection with Fig. 5, it is not essential that this devicebe operated by hydraulic means, as the piston could be raised andlowered mechanically, and will perform exactly the samefunction.

Fig. 6 shows the simplest embodiment of the invent-ion, the bore tube issimply provided with an enlarged cylindrical portion Q the end of whichto a certain extent prevents fluid rising up past the outside of thetube and causes it t0 exert its full pressure on the earth and press itaway from the mouth of the tube, the shoulder D serving for the purposeof preventing the bore tube being raised by the water.

I claim 1. In a well borer, a bore tube, pivotal fingers on the end ofsaid bore tube, said fingers forming a tapering point, and means forforcing said fingers apart. v

2. In a well borer, a bore tube, a point for said bore tube, said pointconsistin of lfingers hinged to the bore tube, means or forcing thefingers forming .the said point apart, and means whereby the bore tubemay be raised. f

3.111 a well borer, a bore tube, a' plurality of fingers hinged on saidbore tube and capable of radial movement relative to said bore tube,shoulders near the top of said fingers, points at the bottom of saidpanding point on said bore tube, a device .adapted to move axially insaid bore tube for expanding the point, an annular shoulder on saiddevice, a plurality of rollers on said shoulder, and a tapering point onsaid device below said shoulder, substantially as described.

6. In a well borer, a bore tube, an expanding point on sald bore tube,said expanding point comprising a plurality of pivoted lingers providedwith shoulders, a-

hydraulically 'actuated device capable of axial movement in said boretube, means on said device whereby the shoulders Von said ngers areforced outward before the points of the same.

7. I n a well borer, a bore tube, a plurality of fingers having radialmovement relative to and mounted on the end of said bore tube,

said fingers being provided with shoulders near their point ofattachment to the bore tube and points at their outer ends, `means forforcing the shoulders and then the points of said fingers `outward.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name thisP 14th day ofJanuary, 1907, in the presence of two subscribing ywitnesses.

THOMASNOBLE.

Witnesses:

HUBERT PUMPHREY,

JOHN MCLACHLAN.

